<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Dream a little dream by myotishia</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29701056">Dream a little dream</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia'>myotishia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Torchwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:34:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,560</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29701056</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The short quiet period ends when the team are given a tip about people whos ability to sleep has seemingly been stolen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sleepless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Melody ducked as a stray basketball swept just over her head, bouncing off the far wall. She picked it up before looking over to see who had launched it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” Smiled Jack, a little embarrassed. “Why don’t you join us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tossed the ball to him. “I think I’ll pass. Remember you’ve still got that meeting with the prime minister the day after tomorrow that you need to be ready for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ianto, is that you sitting on her shoulder?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We think if we both remind you the prep work might get done.” She chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see how it is. You’re both conspiring against me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Yes we are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t listen to him. He’s just bitter because he’s losing.” Gwen beamed as she tidied her ponytail. “What are you up to anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just clearing out a couple of the filing cabinets upstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her phone buzzed from where she’d left it, not wanting to drop it during the game. “Please be Rhys saying he got those dinner reservations.” She opened the message but didn’t look entirely impressed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s from Andy. He says he’s found something we might want to look into. He’s emailed me the case files.” She tucked her phone into her back pocket and jogged up to her computer. The cases she’d been sent were a mixture but they had one thing in common. Each perpetrator complained of extreme insomnia. One, who’d been hospitalised, had been given a powerful sedative but it had no effect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack had been reading over her shoulder. “Looks like we have something to investigate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry Stevens was the most lucid of those who’d been identified, but that didn’t mean he was in good shape. He’d been pulled over for driving under the influence but all tests said he was completely clean. As there was clearly something wrong he’d been sent to the hospital where he’d been ever since. Gwen and Owen were going to try and speak to him, though they didn’t hold out too much hope. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long’s he been awake?” Owen asked one of the nurses on the ward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gave a grim expression. “This’ll be his fifth day in a row, but when he came in he said he’d been having difficulty sleeping for a week before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he able to talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He can but it takes him a long time and he can’t really keep his thoughts straight. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even heavily medicated if he drops off it only lasts for a minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and left to continue her duties. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen glanced past the curtain to see Harry, his skin pale and sickly, eyes unfocused and staring towards the ceiling. He looked for all intents and purposes like a corpse. She stepped past the curtain and sat in the chair next to his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr Stevens?” She said softly. “Is it ok if I talk to you for a bit?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes moved towards the sound and he looked like he was struggling to focus. “Who… Who’re…” His words were slurred and slow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Gwen. I’m trying to find out what’s happening to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep… Won’t let… me sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What won’t let you sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stole… Took dreams… Took my… sleep.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take your time.” She soothed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“M… Mor… Morpheus.” He breathed before his eyes closed. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor slowed and Owen hit the red button on the wall, noting that the man was going down hill fast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen placed a cup of weak coffee in front of Gwen who’d been lost in her own thoughts, lulled by the quiet chatter from the hospital canteen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glanced up. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any word on his address?” He asked as he sat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet. He’s got multiple addresses on file so Tosh is finding which one he’s currently living at. What do you think he meant?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morpheus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he was delirious. I’m surprised he could put words together at all.” He took a sip of his own coffee and cringed. “I always forget how crap hospital coffee is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to just brush of a mans dying words.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not saying that. Just take it with a grain of salt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked at her phone. “Looks like we’ve got an address. Fancy picking a lock?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How have we not found a skeleton key yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised Tosh hasn’t made one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She has six different prototypes but they’re not small enough yet, apparently.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The small house was a mess. A large quantity of takeaway containers sat in the kitchen, empty packs of over the counter sleeping aids sat on the living room floor, the laundry didn’t look as if it had been done in a couple of weeks. The mans insomnia must have been going on longer than they thought. Gwen looked through the discarded post while Owen went to look for a computer. The post didn’t show much, mostly junk mail, a couple of bank statements, a handful of birthday cards. Nothing that, on the surface, would say anything about his condition. One of the bank statements was for the month before and showed multiple transactions with “Morphius PLC”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen.” She called up the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I found what he was trying to tell me about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, can you bring it up here? He doesn’t have a laptop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She climbed the creaky, carpeted, stairs and looked over to the open bedroom door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen was looking at Harrys browser history. “I’m almost disappointed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Single bloke, computer in his bedroom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not everyone’s a degenerate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi, people in glass houses. Your home computer has a Torchwood uplink.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… So you can see my home browser history?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s connected to your work one, so yea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blushed brightly. “Why were you even looking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tosh was updating the firewall settings and a site someone had used was causing issues but she didn’t know which one. I was helping her check.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax. We don’t live in the dark ages. I’m taking the piss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got to keep you on your feet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed and let it go. “So what have you found then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what you’d expect to be honest. Looking for insomnia cures mostly, but there is this.” He clicked on a link that brought up a sleek looking webpage giving information on Morphius. It professed to be a company that could record and replay the dreams of its clients. There was a long paragraph talking about the benefits of the process for therapeutic purposes. “Modern day pseudo-psychology at its finest. Wonder what they’ve got that can pull that off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever it is Mr Stevens visited repeatedly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe he got hooked on the scam.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Either way we should look into the place.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded and was about to shut down the computer before pressing the eject button on the CD drive. The disk inside had the Morphius logo printed on the back. He took it and grabbed an empty CD case to protect it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh had put together all the information she could on each of the people involved in the cases Andy had sent and was certain this Morphius company was involved. Not only did it link all of them, but two had been arrested for trespass after refusing to leave the Morphius building. Maybe she’d have a snoop around their network. There hadn’t been any unusually large energy draws from the area so she suspected they had a stock of videos that they gave to people who didn’t remember their dreams and pocketed the cash. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tosh?” A small voice asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned her head to see Melody looking a little embarrassed. “Yes? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It happened again. I tried rebooting it. Tried rolling back. Now it’s just showing a white screen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the third time this week. I don’t care what Ianto says, that computer needs to be replaced. I can’t keep patching it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s just attached.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be going back into the same case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It just has its quirks that he’s used to. The bluescreens, the sudden network disconnections, the switching languages every Tuesday morning. It’s like a dumb puppy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” She sighed. “I’ll come and help you carry it down. I’ll salvage what I can. I think the office just doesn’t like computers. Every one that’s been put up there has lasted three years maximum, even with updates and replacement parts. I’ve checked the wiring and made sure there’s no interference from anything else but still… Maybe it’s something on the surface of the case. I’ll test it before I bring it back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never felt anything up there. I mean, compared to down here it’s pretty silent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it doesn’t look like it but up until relatively recently that building was vacant, or at least not used very often, so it hasn’t had chance to have anything cling to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Makes sense. I mean the grim walks through sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grim?” She asked in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A large black dog. They usually guard graveyards. Well, that’s what they’re meant to do. It’s an old superstition, but dogs take their orders to heart. Their thoughts linger because they’re so singular.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder why one’s up there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel shrugged. “It could have been there for centuries, or it could have washed in with driftwood. Remnants can attach to anything and being by the water only makes it stronger.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The water makes it stronger?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea. The sea is constantly washing in and away fragments of scattered memories. Every shell, piece of metal, bone, brick and even salt can hold a piece of a memory. It’s like a low hum built up over millions of years. I sound like such a stoner, don’t I.” She laughed softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s interesting. I wonder if there’s a way to pick it up. Measure it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There should be but I wouldn’t have any idea how. Anyway, I’ll go and start unplugging everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meet you up there in five.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The foyer to the Morphius building was bright, all large windows and open plan seating. Posters with grinning people and vaguely motivational text were hung on two of the walls. A very well dressed receptionist sat at the centre desk who looked up and gave a welcoming smile as Gwen and Owen walked in. The quiet pan piped version of an eighties pop song drifted around the room, mixing with the soft scent of lavender to create an artificially calm atmosphere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome. How can I help you today?” The receptionist asked, a customer service smile plastered across her pristinely made up face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen stepped forward. “We were hoping to talk to someone about one of your services users.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. I can’t divulge personal information about our users.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t need personal information. We just need to ask about how he’d been acting recently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused, looking very unsure, before standing. “Let me get my manager for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen poked at some of the leaflets that were sat on one end of the desk, flicking one open to see just how deep the bullshit they were peddling was. It had all been written to sound very scientific to the layman but to a more educated eye it was clearly all nonsense. He pocketed the leaflet as the receptionist returned, followed by another well dressed woman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This new woman had more stern features but the same perfect smile. “How can I help you?” Her voice was smooth and calm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wanted to talk to you about a Mr Harry Stevens.” Gwen said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure I remember anyone by that name. One moment please.” She logged on to the secondary reception computer. “Ah, yes, Mr Stevens was one of our… Obsessive clients.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obsessive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We try and have a meeting before anyone goes through the dream recording process to make sure they’re mentally stable enough but sometimes we miss early red flags and people become obsessive. Our usual procedure is to refuse service if we see the early signs of it. We also try to limit peoples visits to prevent building habits.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that what’s happened to the other people that have refused to leave?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some people cannot cope with the things their minds create.” She crossed her arms defensively. “Now, if you have no interest with our process then please leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re just a few questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I am a very busy woman. If you’ll excuse me.” She turned and marched off back from where she’d come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen rolled his eyes. “She was ready to scarper the moment she saw us.”    </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Need to rest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Watching someone elses dreams was a surreal experience. At least Mr Stevens didn’t have any x rated dreams while being recorded. That could have made for uncomfortable group viewing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen squinted at the footage. “If these dreams aren’t connected then what’s that in the background?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s what?” Tosh asked, pausing the footage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pointed to a shadow in the background that would be easy to miss. On closer inspection it looked like it had eyes. “It’s been in every dream so far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hadn’t even noticed. One moment.” She brought up multiple windows and searched through the footage, finding the same figure in each. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we have a murky blob man. Do you think it’s just in this guys head or...?” Asked Owen, leaning on the back of Toshikos chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without another persons recording we won’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m spending my afternoon poking Mr Stevens brain so you’re on your own with that one Gwen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen looked up to see if Jack was available. “Interested?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I could but apparently me being the boss around here means nothing.” Jack complained, holding up a handful of notes he’d been given by Ianto. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you bail him out if something goes wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ianto shook his head. “I won’t be the one taking notes so I can’t stop a blazing row with the prime minister before it starts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Going it alone. That’s going to be… Loud.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually Melody’s taking my place just this once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good luck Mel. Tosh, do you want to come with?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Liona Wells had been one of the people charged with trespass and she was in no mood for visitors when there was a knock at her front door. She hadn’t slept for more than a couple of minutes in the last four days and even trying to comprehend what was going on in the world was difficult at best. She staggered to the door and opened it a little, squinting at the bright daylight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Wells?” Asked Gwen politely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman glanced between Gwen and Tosh. “If you’re here to talk about god I don’t want any.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no. We need to talk to you about Morpheus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those bastards! You’re investigating their stupid procedure, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re trying. Can we come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liona rubbed her eyes and opened the door, leading them to the living room where she slumped down into the sofa cushions. “I… I’m sorry if I’m snappy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I completely understand. Do you remember when you first visited Morpheus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I think it was a month ago… Me and my friend went. Thought it was just a bit silly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did the sleepless nights start right away?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.. Just after the third time… I… I thought it was fun, but then I just… I couldn’t sleep without it… I’m so tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you complained, was that when they tried to throw you out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “They told me it was impossible but I know it’s that. I know it was their stupid dream recording thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is your friend suffering the same issue?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t go back… She said it felt wrong… I just don’t know what to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh spoke up for the first time, having been checking her phone stealthily. “Maybe there’s something we can do. We have a doctor who might be able to find out what’s going on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? I’ll try anything.” Liona rubbed at her tired eyes again. “Nothing helps and… I feel like I’m losing my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll do our best.” Gwen smiled sympathetically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Owen had the medical bay set out as to not be too bright for Liona. He’d been rethinking how things went with Mr Stevens and he needed her to be relaxed for him to pick up the effect he was looking for. He only partially expected just how weak the woman looked as she was guided into the room, her skin looked grey and lifeless, her eyes were puffy and heavily lidded, even the way she walked looked like it was the hardest thing in the world. Gwen helped her down and she looked relieved to sit on the table just so she could rest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Dr Harper.” Gwen said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded a hello. “Just get comfortable and we can get started.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liona lay back, her eyes trying to close the moment she laid her head down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He checked his computer screen that showed a scan of the young womans brain. The moment she fell into a sleep state activity in her brain dipped dramatically. It supported his hypothesis. “Stay with her a sec.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen nodded, not asking where he was going. She trusted he knew what he was doing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked to where Melody was helping put the ancient looking computer back together. “Mind if I borrow you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all. How can I help?” Melody asked, standing back from her work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think something’s feeding off the Morpheus victims brainwaves whenever they sleep. They can’t sleep because part of their brain knows if it does it could die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you need me to block off whatever’s drawing away that energy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. If you can’t then maybe you can rewire things a bit to keep her going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do my best.” She followed him back to the medical bay and she could instantly feel something feeding off the woman laying on the table. She sat herself on the steps and closed her eyes so she could fully concentrate. Lionas mind showed signs of deep fatigue and damage from something clawing its way in. A shadowy residue coated the collections of fresh memories, unsorted and unfiltered. That was what it was drawing from. Dreams were just how the mind sorted information so the easiest way to feed off fresh memories, fresh information, was to interrupt the process. Divert the thoughts, the energy, to something else. She easily broke the connection and made a copy of the memory at its source. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen smiled to himself as he saw the drastic change in Lionas brain activity. She was still asleep, but it was a natural sleep and showed no sign of the previous violent dip in activity. He gave Gwen a reassuring nod as she was looking to him for answers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you want to stop this parasite feeding off people you’ll need to destroy it at its source.” Melody said softly. “Or sever the link it has to each of the people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So take down Morpheus’ system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll tell Tosh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh and if I retcon her it isn’t going to undo what you did, is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. She’ll be fine now. Her short term memory’s going to be shaky at best for a while but I didn’t see any damage that couldn’t heal with time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just checking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh sighed in frustration. She’d been working on trying to get into the Morpheus dream recording system for two hours but every time she thought she was getting close it became clearer that they kept the actual heart of the business separate. If she wanted to shut it down she’d need to be inside the building. Not only that but she was sure there was a lot more manpower inside the building than it seemed on the surface, going on Morpheus financial reports. She could hinder their booking system and leave a little remote access trojan on their system for easy access later, but she didn’t want to raise any suspicion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to need to get inside.” She said, grabbing Jacks attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guessed it would come to that if there was a parasite inside. They’ll already recognise Gwen and Owen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? We still don’t know what you’ll be walking in to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure. Even if it’s just to gather data from their internal system. We have to get past the interviews first anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you set that up?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and opened up the Morpheus initial booking form. “Should I use an alias? I’m not sure how good they’ll be at their research.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should, just in case. Have some fun with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always do.” She smiled to herself. “All set for your meeting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I’ll ever be. Part of me’s hoping someone tries to invade number ten so I don’t have to talk to the most boring, pretentious, annoying man in the country.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does he want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To stick his nose in everyone else's business. He’s the micromanaging type and he thinks he can throw his weight around. I think that’s the only reason Ianto suggested Melody take notes. I might hold my temper better with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re both underestimating how much she dislikes our current government. I doubt she’ll say anything, but I also doubt she’ll stop you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope so.” He grinned, feeling a lot better about the idea. “I’m more worried about all the interest from UNIT since Martha left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve been asking for a meeting about what happened with Osiris.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought we’d given our full report.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have, but I think Marthas successor has decided to try and dismantle her character using us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Having a civil relationship was nice while it lasted. Would you like me to look into this new medical director?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Officially we don’t know a thing, but if you happened to see something that wasn’t completely above board and could be used against them…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckled lightly. “I’ll see what I can uncover.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh had managed to get an interview for the next day and though she knew it was just the interview portion even walking into the building made her a little nervous. Not that it showed. She strode into the lobby and approached the desk. “Hi, I have an appointment for two o’clock?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, Miss Yoshida. Take a seat and your specialist will be with you in just a moment.” The receptionist gave her a polite smile and gestured to a set of soft chairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded a thank you and walked over to sit. The place looked a lot brighter than she’d expected and it was a lot bigger than you’d expect for such a new and unusual company. It was a lovely place but certainly fitted more to a spa than this strange dream recording technology. The click of high heels on tiles drew her attention. A woman in what could be described as business casual approached. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Yoshida?” The woman asked, clutching a tablet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh stood and nodded, offering her hand to shake. “Fumiko is fine. You are?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Angela Magne and I’ll be conducting your pre dream interview. If you could just follow me this way.” She shook Toshikos hand firmly then led her towards a small side office. “Please, take a seat. This shouldn’t take long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh sat in the relatively comfortable chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Fumiko, how did you hear about us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh I saw people talking about their dream recordings online and I thought it might be interesting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, good. I’m glad positive things are being said about us. Now, just a few questions. Any drug or alcohol issues?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tapped the answers into a form on her tablet screen. “Gambling habits?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you been given any kind of sleep aids within the last month?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I sleep pretty well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any medical issues? Sleep apnoea, anything like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing I can think of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent. Any history of violence?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think so, but we have to check. We want people to only have positive experiences here. Any mental health issues?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“None.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That all looks good. It seems like you’ll be a great candidate for our process. What are you hoping to see in your recording?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just looking for inspiration. I always try to write down my dreams, but lately I’ve been forgetting them by the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fingers crossed for interesting dreams then. Right, would you prefer a daytime or night time appointment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh had read the booking list and knew that the late night block was the most popular but the early evening block was almost empty. “Umm… Some time in the evening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can do that. How about six until eight tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful. Remember to wear something comfortable and shoes you can easily slip off.” Angela gave a bright smile. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Little nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>No matter how many times Ianto had told her she was going to be fine, Melody was still extremely nervous about the meeting. She was dressed neatly and looked the perfect image of a secretary even if she wasn’t likely to be seen. Jack showed no sign of nervousness. Of course he’d done this many times and was more concerned with getting it over and done with so he could get back to more important matters. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked over at her. “You don’t need to worry so much. The government have no power here and they know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, what if I don’t note everything down right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s recorded. Honestly, you’re just here so I behave. I think her majesties last message to me was, if you speak to that moron like that again one will have to get involved and one would rather spend time with ones grandchildren than mediate your petty squabbles.” He smiled fondly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got told off by the queen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t be the first time. Point is, she doesn’t like him either. He’s a weasel, I know it, she knows it and UNIT knows it. We only let him have these meetings to keep him feeling important and out of the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just relax. Once the wannabe dictator’s out of the way then I can set up a meeting with UNIT and after that we’re done with calls.” He assured her before the meeting call rang out. He hit answer to see a grumpy looking man and a woman in a suit emblazoned with the UNIT insignia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The grumpy man smirked. “Captain Harkness, I’m surprised you answered.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, when I promise something I do try and deliver Mr Cameron.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And where’s your usual dogsbody?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean my head of admin? He has more important things to get to. And how are you Major Moor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman smiled understandingly. “I’m quite well captain Harkness.” Major Felicia Moor was the current head intelligence officer in UNIT and was not a woman to be messed with. She was tough as nails and had an aura to match, but she seemed to be cordial with Jack at least. “Shall we get onto what we are all here for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, does your new secretary even have clearance to be in this meeting? She looks like a teenager.” The prime minister huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack rolled his eyes. “She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t. Miss Archer is a part of my organisation and frankly I would trust her with any secret you could possibly know of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody tried not to blush and busied herself with getting her papers ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, now that’s dealt with, what can we do for you Mr Cameron?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prime minister cleared his throat. “Well, I want to know exactly what is going on? I thought you were meant to deal with anything considered alien.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that includes all that nonsense at Cardiff motorpoint arena?” He looked into the camera smugly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did. We prevented an invasion with minimal collateral damage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the masonic hall massacre?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The culprit was tracked down and neutralised. What point are you trying to make?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re meant to be preventing these things!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacks expression became icy. “We are human, we can only do so much. We can only minimise damage and prevent future casualties.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-well… I …” He spluttered, faltering under the captains stern gaze. “What is UNIT doing about all this then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felicia held a poker face most statues would be proud of. “We are making sure that the public is not affected by these instances. In fact we’ve been working with Torchwood successfully for over a year now to make sure our response is as effective as possible. What else do you suggest we do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you be more proactive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you suggesting we take an aggressive stance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, Mr Cameron, at our current technological ability if we were to be aggressive toward the wrong people we would be wiped out before we could blink. We are at a developmental disadvantage so we must take a more methodical approach to ensure the safety of the human race.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her plain reply seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. “Well… This exposure is still unacceptable. I expect you to improve before we speak again.” He hung up abruptly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had a teacher like him once. He was a complete prat too. Anyway, now that’s over and done with, shall we speak about recent events captain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack smiled warmly, his eyes softening. “I’m always happy to sit and talk with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh stop it. I don’t need your charm offensive.” She chuckled softly. “Is Mr Jones alright? I’m not used to him not being here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s fine. He’s just outside my office.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Melody’s his assistant and this was a good training opportunity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank goodness. I like him, he’s polite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Most of the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I assume you’ve heard about Dr Jones’ resignation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have. Last I heard she’s enjoying the free time with her husband.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her leaving is a big loss for us. I can’t say as I completely understand her reasoning but I hope she knows there’s always a place for her here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned back in his chair. “What about her successor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dr Davenport. He’s certainly bright, though he doesn’t have the same social skills as Martha.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve heard he’s been trying to dig up dirt on her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not officially, but I can’t deny that he’s been rather vocal about some of her previous decisions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Major, come on, you and I both know what you want to ask about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed and removed her glasses. “The Osiris incident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re doubting Marthas report.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m doubting that you told her the whole truth. What are you hiding from us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing. I know we don’t always get along but that whole mess was rough. Innocent people were hurt and Osiris got close, too close.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut the bullshit Jack! You left us every bit of technology Osiris kept in that base and nothing they had could do what happened to those people!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes darted to Melody who was keeping her eyes firmly on what she was writing and out of sight of the camera. The colour had drained from her face. “How could you tell with Osiris dead? You don’t know what he was capable of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re still in our care and they all say they saw the same thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you trust what they saw?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I trust that they’re damaged. I trust that we’ve found signs that damage was done by a powerful telepath. There had to be another lifeform there that day. No human could do that kind of damage on that scale. If something like that were to escape-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me stop you there. There were no other aliens in the base that day. I’m not harbouring some dangerous creature for the sake of what it can do on a battlefield.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then how? What the hell am I meant to tell everyone here? I have people demanding I send in teams to fully investigate you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and glanced over to Melody again. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely hold her pen. “If I tell you, you’ll understand why I can’t let you know the full scope of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack-” Mel gasped before cutting herself off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok. I trust her. We’ve worked together before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felicia steadied her gaze on them. “Ok, explain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have a telepath. A human. Powerful enough to potentially have killed every single one of those men with a single thought.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re going to lie-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m telling you the truth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not possible. A human brain would melt out of their ears trying to attempt even half of that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet here we are. That’s why we couldn’t be honest. You know the ideas your organisation would get.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You… You’re not joking, are you.” She breathed, looking him dead in the eye. “If that’s true then… They need protecting. If they were to defect or-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That won’t happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know? Christ, you have what, five? Six people? How are you meant to protect someone with that kind of power.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re doing pretty well so far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, where are they now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked over to Melody. “She’s been here the whole time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That… But she’s just a girl… How…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel glanced up to the camera, her visible eye reflecting silver in the light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The silver eyes.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Are… I mean… Bloody hell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She finally spoke up, her naturally soft voice trying to rise past her fear. “I’m safe here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God I hope so. Martha was just trying to protect you and risked her career for it. I… I need to think about this. And don’t worry I won’t be sharing any of this with anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. I’m sorry for causing trouble… I… I lashed out at those people… I thought my friend was dead and…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to explain yourself. Jack, I need to let this sink in. I’ll call you again soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take care.” He nodded before the call dropped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody finally let her pen drop to the table. “Why?! Why did you just do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was going to find out eventually and I’d rather have her on side when she does. I told you, I know Felicia, I trust her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t I get a say in who knows the horrid stuff I’ve done?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Melody, no one blames you for-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I do!” She snapped, running her hands over her face before trying to regain her composure. “Sorry… I just… Warn me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t have this planned but without Martha as our man on the inside we need someone in a position of power that can help cover our backs, especially if her successor is stirring up trouble.” He reached over and placed a hand over hers. “It’s ok.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really, really hope so.” She sighed and tried to ignore the growing pain in her chest.       </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh double checked she had everything for getting through the Morpheus building. She was wired for sound so she could keep in touch with the rest of the team unnoticed. Her bag had a hidden compartment to keep her PDA and any cables she might need. She’d already set up the buildings security cameras to freeze their images at five past six so she could move around without being recorded, and she hoped that the moment she’d got into the closed part of the system she could hide out somewhere so she wouldn’t need to do any fighting. As much as she knew Owen and Gwen would both be ready to smash the doors down at the hint she was in danger she still preferred to stay out of any direct conflict if possible. As she ran the plan for the night over in her head for a fourth time she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning she saw Melody, less shaken than earlier but no less pale. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mel tried to put her words together correctly. “I was thinking for tonight… Not that I don’t think you’re capable or anything but I wondered if you wanted me to put a failsafe in your mind, just in case you end up being forced to sleep. I get the feeling that they aren’t being honest when they say they just wait for people to fall asleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. What kind of thing were you thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just something small. A trigger for you to realise you’re asleep and give you enough control to wake up. I’d put something to automatically just wake you up but I wouldn’t want you to end up not able to sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good idea. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.” She said brightly. “I was concerned about that too to be honest. What kind of thing were you thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something common. Something you could see in other things. A simple shape. What about a capital T?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect. What should I do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just close your eyes, it’ll only take a moment.” She concentrated on the imagery and the message behind it, placing it securely with the neatly organised section that held all of Toshikos dreams and nightmares, leaving enough room to be brought to the surface at the soonest opportunity. “All done.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep. You’re all set.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you… Are you alright? You look a bit sickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head. “I’m fine. I think it’s just a bit of heartburn. Nothing to worry about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as you’re sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All ready for Morpheus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I’ll ever be.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dream eater</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Angela greeted Toshiko as she walked into the Morpheus building. “So wonderful to see you. If you follow me through here we can get you comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She followed the woman through one of the doors and towards the lift. Inside she noted that there were buttons for two basement levels and two upper floors. They stepped out on the second floor and walked down a quiet hallway, stopping at a door with the number twenty six painted neatly on it. Angela opened it and guided Tosh inside. The room itself was softly illuminated by lamps built into the walls that pulsed in a slow, soothing, rhythm. If it weren’t for what she knew was going on behind the scenes Tosh would have found it very relaxing. The bed in the centre of the room looked like what you’d expect from a dentists office and felt similar as she sat down on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just lay back and relax. This device rests just over your forehead.” Angela explained, holding the headpiece. She gently placed it so the three connection points were in place, one on each temple and one in the centre of Toshikos forehead. “Comfortable?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then, all there is to do now is close your eyes and relax. And don’t worry, these doors can only be opened from the inside while they’re occupied unless there’s a fire or other emergency. See you at eight.” She beamed, walking out and closing the door behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh gave it a few moments, just in case, but found her eyelids getting very heavy. She might even have dropped off if Gwens voice in her hidden earpiece hadn’t brought her back to reality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was the one that stormed off the other day. All fake smiles.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suspected as much.” Tosh replied softly, slipping the headpiece off and padding over to her bag. “Let’s see if I can get access from the headset itself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fingers crossed. That pulsing sound is even making me sleepy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sound? The lights are pulsing in here but I don’t hear anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is something being picked up by only the microphone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Must be. Whatever it is it’s doing its job.” She yawned as she plugged the headset into her PDA. There was a signal but it was one way and not particularly helpful beyond showing that it connected to something in the basement level. “I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.” She slipped the headset into her bag then slipped her shoes back on. “It’s connected to something in the basement. There are two basement levels you can get to via the lift.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not thinking of going down there alone, are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as I don’t get caught, yes. Security isn’t due to patrol the first three floors for another fifteen minutes. If I’m careful I can get down there long before that happens. Plus they don’t check the rooms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep on the lookout for that manager woman. I wouldn’t put it past her to be stalking the halls.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here we go.” She quietly opened the door and looked up and down the hallway. It was silent as she’d hoped. Her soft ballet flats barely made a sound as she walked down to the stairwell. From what she could see it ran down to the ground floor before stopping but it was a start. As she approached the ground floor landing she saw a security door leading further down. She took the digital lockpick from her bag and held it in place, listening carefully in case anyone approached. She’d always disliked that the device had been named something as simple as a ‘lockpick’. The handheld unit could unravel numerical codes that should take hours in seconds, then calculate the probability if each code being used at any one time to an accuracy of one hundred percent and then input it wirelessly and leave no trace that the lock had even been opened. It had the potential to functionally tell the future but no, it had been named after a tool that could be made using two hairpins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lock clicked, letting her push the door open freely. The lights were much dimmer as she descended into the unknown but she could feel a slow, rhythmic, pulsation in the air. Creeping into the dim landing she looked through a small window set into the door and saw lines of beds, like those in the rooms above, with someone sleeping on each. There were no attendants so she dared to get closer. Each person had a much more industrial version of the headset resting over their foreheads and straps that held them in place at the wrists and ankles. Their eyes moved swiftly under their eyelids. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There must be thirty or forty people held down here.” She whispered. “I’m going to see if I can shut this down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack was the first voice to reply this time. “Damn, that’s a lot more than I thought. We’ll meet you in there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me try and shut this down first. I don’t want to put all of these people at risk if possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The second you’ve got them unhooked we’ll storm in. I don’t like risking you getting trapped down there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. There doesn’t seem to be anyone conscious down here.” She moved past the lines of people and followed the cables down to the bottom level. The stairway opened out into a huge room with a tank in the centre, glowing with a soft reddish light. The wires led to a console just in front of it. She rushed over to the console and began looking for how to shut everything down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blinding pain shot through the back of her head from a hard impact, knocking her off her feet. Her vision blurred and she found herself being dragged by the arms back to the stairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let go!” She shouted, knowing that backup would be on its way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two large security guards manhandled her up the stairs and practically threw her onto one of the beds, restraining her without a word. She thrashed to try and escape or at least keep the headset one of them was holding away from her head. It was no use. The moment the headset was placed on she felt her consciousness begin to slip, a low vibration running through her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tosh!” Owen exclaimed, hearing her cry out. He threw open the SUV door and was ready to kick the doors in when he felt Jack grab his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He followed, knowing sometimes it was best to just follow Jack and ask questions later. Ianto had gestured for Gwen to follow him in another direction. An old fashioned pincer movement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where were you two?” She asked as they ran. “Or don’t I want to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “We wouldn’t while we’re in the field.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like hell you wouldn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not when we’re out in the cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were checking the perimeter. There are two fire doors. They open automatically when the alarm goes off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So we’re pulling the alarm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” They practically skidded through the front doors and Ianto spotted the fire alarm box. He ran over to it, ignoring the secretary asking what was going on, and slammed his leather gloved hand into it to break the glass. He pulled the small lever and the foyer filled with the near disorientating siren.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The secretary looked like he was about to have a panic attack. “Is there a fire?” He asked, shouting over the alarm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Yes there is. You should evacuate the whole building.” The welshman replied calmly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>From one of the side rooms Angela Magne burst out. “What the hell is going on?!” She shouted before spotting Gwen. “You! Did you do this?! I don’t know who you are or where you’re from but I’m going to call the police and have you dragged out of here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you really? Would you like to explain to the police about the thirty odd people you have wired up in your basement then?” Gwen snapped back, done with this womans nonsense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked like she’d been slapped as she spluttered. “W-what? How do you? How did you find out about that?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give it up, it’s over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack pushed the fire door open the second the alarm began its wailing. He’d looked up the general layout of the building so he knew where the stairwell was as he and Owen ran past fleeing staff members and visitors alike. They were a good distraction if nothing else. The stairwell was already filling with people trying to escape the building but they didn’t need to climb up so the crowd wasn’t going to get in their way. Jack paused at the security door, considering his options. Tosh had the lockpick and it was a heavy door he wouldn’t be able to kick in. Owen wasn’t as hesitant as he grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and used it to smash the front panel from the lock, grabbing the wires to essentially activate the unlocking mechanism manually. The door swung open and both men sprinted down the stairs two by two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” A gruff voice shouted as two security guards ran to greet them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fire flared in Owens chest as he remembered how scared Tosh had sounded. “Oh you do not want to try and stop us right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should get out before we hurt you mate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen here </span>
  <em>
    <span>mate</span>
  </em>
  <span>-” He spat, leveling his weapon at the guards, “- if anyone’s getting hurt it’s you. Now get the fuck out of my way!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guards knew they were outgunned, literally, and stepped aside, keeping their hands up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack took a moment to disarm the two men before pointing to the exit. “Get out before I decide to show you how all of those people feel, personally.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t need telling twice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh sat up, bleary eyed, in bed. Early morning light shone through the gap in the curtains illuminating the lump in the covers next to her. She smiled warmly, knowing it would be another ten minutes before Owen grumpily dragged himself out of bed and to the shower. His attitude had softened since they’d got together but he was still cranky in the mornings. She slipped out of bed and wandered to the kitchen, flicking on the kettle. There was something she was supposed to remember, she was sure of it, but the sleep haze was holding whatever it was at bay. Coffee would help. She flicked on the kettle and paused. She could swear she’d already done that. Maybe she was still half asleep, that was it. She turned on the TV and listened to the familiar voice of the news reporter talking about the usual doom and gloom that they seemed to love. She moved back to the kitchen to start breakfast, stopping as she realised the kettle was off. She pressed down the switch and watched it, the little light that said it was working illuminating as it usually did. Something didn’t feel right. What had she been doing last night? She didn’t feel like she’d been drinking, or not enough to have completely forgotten at any rate. She walked back to the bedroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen?” She asked softly, perching on the edge of the bed. “What were we doing last night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He answered. She was sure he did but why couldn’t she work out what he’d said. This all felt off somehow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I think something’s wrong… I don’t remember-” She was cut off by the sound of someone knocking insistently at the door. She stood and rushed to the door, turning the handle and pulling it open to see darkness. When had it got to night time? She turned back to see trees. She needed to get home, needed to remember. A figure stood in the light of a streetlamp, slightly hunched over, their breath sending clouds up into the air. A weevil. She’d recognise that silhouette anywhere. She turned and began to sprint away, hearing the creature huffing behind her. It was fast, too fast, gaining on her constantly. Her legs felt weak, like she simply didn’t have the power to run. She fell and pulled her arms over her neck to try and stop the beast from ripping into it. She waited for the pain but it never arrived and she dared to open her eyes. She found herself sitting on the beach. It was still dark, the sky completely devoid of stars, but the moon was bright. The waves silently lapped at the shore. It was hard to see where the sea ended and the sky began. She needed to get home. It was late and Owen would be wondering where she’d got to, plus that weevil was probably still around. Clambering to her feet she looked down to see rocks placed into an arrow shape. The childish side of her made her move them into a letter T for Toshiko and she smiled. The wind seemed to speak. A dream. It was a dream. That’s why the kettle didn’t work, why the weevil hadn’t attacked, why the world seemed to shift. Yes, she was dreaming. She’d been on an assignment and she needed to wake up. Now she just had to work out how. Usually she awoke the moment she realised she was dreaming, but not this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great. Ok, so this is my dream, my mind. I control it so I just need to…” She said to herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small voice from the water spoke up. “You’re new.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to see what looked like a tapir standing in the water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t run. I don’t want to be here either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you what’s feeding off us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to. It’s too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it the machine that’s feeding you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It connects me. It’s… Sticky… I can’t let go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I can wake up I might be able to help you.” She said softly, kneeling in the sand to be on eye level with the creature. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It looked up to the moon. “I want to go home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you from?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Far away. Up there… We were all passing by and I got lost… I met a person and she fed me. I told her how she could see dreams when she woke up to thank her but… Then she brought me other people to feed from. They were scared and tasted sick but I couldn’t stop… Why did she do this? What did I do wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing. You did nothing wrong. She was just a horrible person and I’m so sorry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tapir walked over and rested its head on her lap. “You really want to help me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do, but I need to wake up first.” She petted its head gently, its tears sparkling in the moonlight. “If I can stop the machine will you be able to get home? Back to your family?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, but I want to try. I want to go and never look back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll try my best to free you, I promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of a siren drifted in from the waves. “I think it’s that way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The way to wake up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s worth a try.” She gently moved and stood up, staring off into the void. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s scary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “Sometimes you have to fight through, even if it’s scary.” She ran into the waves and dove into the darkness. It felt like she’d been swimming for ages when the sirens got louder and she heard voices, familiar voices. She opened her bleary eyes to see Owen looking down at her, brushing back her hair, a relieved look in his eyes as she showed signs of consciousness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take it easy there, beautiful.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen…” She winced at the pain in the back of her head. “We need to turn off the machine. It’s the machine making it sick. It doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack looked to the stairs and the light beyond them. “Leave it to me.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A violent awakening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Angela gritted her teeth as she stared Gwen down just before a group of people ran between them, heading for the doors. She took the opportunity to run back to her office and lock the door behind her. She could climb out of the window but there was no way she was leaving her retirement plan behind. She grabbed a headset from her desk draw and slipped it on. It wasn’t like the others, no, it was a device that let her view any of the other dreams that were being fed to the creature she’d found wandering around her garden. Not only could she view them, she could feed from them. She hadn’t slept or eaten since she’d started using it and she’d never felt better. With it on she looked down at her hands, the shadowy whisps rising from her fingers, tendrils reaching out. As long as she had her crown on she could take her business back. She began to draw the energy the imprisoned creature had been forced to store and felt it charge through her veins. She’d tested the ability on those who’d gotten hooked, taking everything she could whenever they tried to sleep and then kept going, taking everything she could from them. It felt like ice and fire under her skin and she wanted more. First she needed to test out just how much she could get away with. She raised her hand and the black whisps coagulated into a spike, firing forward and destroying the wooden door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen had escaped being impaled by mere millimetres. Stunned by the sudden shock it took her a moment to pick herself up and see the being standing before her. It was a humanoid shape made of shadows. Barely recognisable by anything bar its bright, piercing, eyes and white grin. She dove out of the way just before the creature fired another spike in her direction, sending plaster and paint chips flying into the air. This was the nightmare she’d seen in the recorded dreams. Ianto waved her over to cover, using the reception desk defensively. They both readied their weapons and rose from cover, filling the air with bullets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack approached the control panel, noting the screens that showed energy transfer levels, active headsets and the alien creatures vital signs. The pulsing light and vibration that filled the air was being projected from the tank where something hovered inside the mist. He lowered the amount of sedative that was being sprayed into the air of the tank and finally saw it. The alien. The small tapir like being, gasping and twitching as if trapped in a nightmare. A sudden warning showed on the screens showing a huge surge of energy being sent to a single headset. The tapir screeched. Jack tried to switch the whole thing off but control had been diverted to that headset. He raised his gun and fired into the glass of the tank, far above where the creature hovered, making the glass shatter and fall away. He held his breath and ventured in, pulling the alien into his arms. It was lighter than he expected and didn’t fight him. It just looked exhausted. He backed away from the shattered tank and the control panel that was flashing bright red, sparks rising from the wires that snaked across the floor away from it. He sprinted up the steps two at a time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to get everyone out of here. Something’s overloading the system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh was up and already removing headsets from those wired up while Owen was diligently removing the tubes that were keeping the poor people alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t get everyone out that fast. Can we slow it down?” She asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re way past that point. Unless we can cut the power to the building it’s going to go up in flames.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There has to be some kind of fuse-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If there was it would have tripped by now. We’ve got to go.” As if to prove his point smoke began to rise from the stairwell he’d just come from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen looked over and clenched his jaw, he knew he couldn’t get all of them safely unhooked in time but couldn’t just leave them to burn to death. As he was considering it another awful realisation hit him. With the fire alarm going off the lifts would be disabled so he’d have to get more than thirty barely conscious people up the flight of stairs and out of the building. It wasn’t possible. Even those he’d already released hadn’t regained consciousness yet. “We can’t get everyone out.” His voice finally found itself. “We have to put the fire out or they’re all going to cook alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn it!” Jack growled to himself. “Tosh, get to the SUV and see if you can find a way to cut power to the whole building. There has to be a water pipe around here somewhere. If we break it we could drown the fire out but we haven’t got long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the time I get up there the whole room will be filled with smoke.” She replied hopelessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of gunfire from above made the situation even worse. He wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. He took off his coat and wrapped the alien in it before he held out the bundle for her to take. “Both of you get out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” She asked, holding the creature close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fighting a fire.” He grinned before turning back to the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angela cackled, the whisps of shadow twirling around each blazing hot bullet in mid-air. They clinked musically to the tiled floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s new.” Ianto said, his back pressed against the door of one of the cupboards under the reception desk. “Didn’t know that manager that was screaming at you was actually a nightmare.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen dared to look over the marble desktop to see where the creature that had been Angela was. “A nightmare that’s bulletproof and coming this way. If you have any ideas now would be the time to voice them.” She hunkered back down, eyes scanning the area for anything that could be helpful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was hoping to wake up to be honest but there’s always plan B.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you keep her busy for about a minute? Maybe two?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She can stop bullets, but I doubt she can stop water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Water?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” She grabbed a stack of leaflets and threw them into the air as hard as she could, papers drifting back down, distracting the shadow creature momentarily. She skittered out from the desk and fired three more rounds towards the nightmare before skidding to a halt and tipping up one of the coffee tables to use as some kind of cover. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It worked and Ianto managed to scramble through the slightly ajar door to the break room. A, thankfully full, kettle sat on one counter and a hot drinks machine on the other. He’d rather stick to water than try and force the sorry excuse for coffee those things produced down his neck, but that wasn’t what he needed it for. He switched the kettle on before turning to the drinks machine and practically ripping it open. The plastic cover gave way to show the insides of the dispenser. Most importantly the small tank of boiling water. He unhooked it from the pipe in the wall that kept it fed and grabbed a teatowel to protect his hands, wrapping it around the tank before pulling it out. He didn’t have long before it’d begin to leak so he hoped he could escape a scalding. He took a breath before opening the door and running out into the open and launching it at the shadow creature. Angela turned and fired a bolt of shadow at the projectile. It exploded and showered her in boiling water. She screeched and made to rush at him. As she got close he threw the kettle directly at her face. It exploded, covering her face and shoulders. Blinded and in pain she flailed until a final shot hit its mark. Angela fell, a hole shot clear through her forehead and the headpiece, as the shadows dissipated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen lowered her gun. “That was…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ridiculous, I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that was bloody genius.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack had found the pipes he was looking for, the smoke making it extremely difficult as it burned his eyes and made the air look like grey soup. He fired three shots into the plastic pipe and stood back as water began to spray out. He did the same a little further down, the water rushing across the floor and towards the cables. Now to get back to the steps before the surface of the water became an electrical hazard in itself. Not easy when he could barely see. He coughed as he followed the wall to his left, hoping that he’d hit the stairs eventually, his chest burning as his lungs tried to absorb every bit of oxygen they could. One of the canisters that had been used to keep the alien sedated ruptured, sending a ball of fire into the air and throwing Jack against the wall. He heard the water pipe crack and burst, the pressure too much for the damaged plastic. The water swirled around the soles of his boots and he was very thankful for rubberised soles as electricity crackled behind him. He gripped onto the wall and kept moving forward. Finally he reached the steps and had to practically crawl up them as another canister exploded behind him. He almost collapsed at the top before someone grabbed his arm to help him up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Owen? I thought I told you to get out.” He coughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea, well, I couldn’t just sit around and wait. We’ve got firefighters and paramedics on the way so we just need to collect the headsets and not choke to death.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh smiled down at the now conscious little tapir alien as they pulled away in the SUV, leaving behind a lot of confused people and a completely destroyed basement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sky.” It said, its voice small and excited. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and looked out of the window. “Yes, we’re outside. Now we need to work out how to get you home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stars. See stars.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it’s a clear night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Find home. Follow stars.” It tapped on the window, pointing at the sky. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckled warmly. “Ok, let’s just get somewhere quiet first. We don’t want anyone seeing you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you… Dreamers could not see me, but you are bright, like a star. You saw and listened. You are brave. I want to be brave.” It sat, its deep brown eyes sparkling as it looked up at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re very brave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they were at a quiet spot Jack pulled over and Tosh hopped out with the little tapir. “Here you go. How are you going to get up there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It drifted upwards, its form pulsing with a warm pink light. “Stay brave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It brightened into an orb of pure light and shot into the sky like a firework. She turned back, looking content.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were all ready to call it a day and Jack really wanted to shower, the smell of smoke clinging to his skin and clothes. Walking back into the hub they’d expected to see Melody still there as she had a habit of waiting to be sure everyone was ok, but they hadn’t expected her to be sat on the floor, her legs pinned down by Myfanwys head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You alright there?” Gwen laughed behind her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melody looked up. “She won’t let me move.” To prove her point she shifted her legs and the pteranodon moved them back with her beak before huffing and settling her head back down. “I don’t know what she wants.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack walked over and crouched by the dinosaurs head, tapping her beak. “Come on, people aren’t pillows.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Myfanwy opened an eye to look at him before closing it again, completely ignoring him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, while you’re dealing with the bird-” Owen began, walking past so far before Myfanwy shifted and grabbed his trouser leg in her beak. “Oi! I’m not part of whatever you’ve got going on here.” She let out a guttural little caw and tugged him back towards where Melody was sat. “I’m not taking her place if that’s what you want.” He looked to Jack who just shrugged, having no idea what was going on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he was pulled close enough the dinosaur moved her beak to pull on his sleeve instead. She could have easily broken his arm with the kind of force her beak was capable of, but she was being gentle, just guiding him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a moment to actually look at Melody and frowned. “You feeling ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?” There was no real colour in her face and she looked tired. “Bit of heartburn that won’t go away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the slight blue tint to her lips. “Is it worse on your left side by any chance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bit I suppose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok Polly, I get the message.” He patted Myfanwys beak, the pteranodon finally letting go and standing back. She gave one last call before flapping her huge wings and rising back to her nest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was all that about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not heartburn. She didn’t want you going home without me noticing.” He helped her up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It isn’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember we talked about that scar tissue giving out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it gave out by the looks of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Won’t it heal up if it’s small enough?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mel… Seriously?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just got back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It will probably heal if you rest but if it split this easily once means it will again.” He explained matter of factly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others were looking at each other in confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh was the first to put the pieces together. “Melody… Have you been walking around with a punctured lung?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… Um…” Mel stuttered, more embarrassed than anything else, while everyone else looked borderline horrified. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen placed a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. You can’t ignore this anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have much of a choice now, do I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well yea, it’s this or constant pain and possible death scenarios.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen walked over and took Melodys hand. “Come on, it’ll be ok.”      </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Unrest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It didn’t take too long to put Melody under and for Owen to scrub up. It would have been a huge operation, necessitating a whole team and hours of theatre time but with the technology available to Owen it would barely take half an hour and only needed a second person to keep an eye on Mels vitals while he worked. Tosh had taken that job as in an emergency she was fully able to help. The bump on her head had already gone down and her headache had eased to nearly nothing so she was happy to just sit quietly and monitor things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack seemed unusually interested in proceedings so he’d been told he could watch from the archway if he had to. Owen suspected he was just worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This… The shock from earlier didn’t cause this, did it?” The captain finally asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Owen didn’t look up, his voice muffled slightly behind his mask. “I don’t think so. I think it probably opened up on the walk to work and got worse through the day. That what’s been bothering you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to be sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was that all about earlier anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without Martha at UNIT anymore people are starting to ask questions about her report on the Osiris incident. I didn’t have much of a choice but to admit the truth. Only to someone I trust but it caught her off guard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they going to start sniffing around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. It won’t go beyond Felicia for now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First name basis. Old girlfriend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack chuckled lightly. “Don’t let her hear you say that. We worked together years ago. She’s a good woman.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope so… Christ, whoever stitched this together in the first place was a butcher.” He commented, more to himself, as he removed the old scar tissue. Scans and remote viewing never gave you the full scale of things compared to actually seeing what was going on with your own two eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea… Yea they were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hope they lost their licence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re dead if that helps.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to look up to see the expression on Jacks face but knew he couldn’t. “What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The battle of Canary wharf happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… Are you saying a Torchwood medic did this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t know at the time… Melody… She told me herself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tosh looked up, wide eyed. “But how…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She still sees him in her nightmares.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t she have been anesthetized?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She should have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An empty silence fell over the room, only interrupted by the rhythmic beeping from the monitor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Melody stood surrounded by rust coloured sands, the sky burning a bright red to match, wind whistling through the leaves of a nearby tree. She reached up and plucked one from a branch, holding it up to the light. It shimmered silver but it wasn’t made of metal, no, it had grown naturally like that. She let it go and it drifted away on the breeze. Sitting down she ran her fingers through golden red grass and leaned against the trunk of the tree, looking out towards a city surrounded by a glasslike dome. It looked like a snowglobe full of towers. Other than the plant life everything felt barren. Like she was looking at a world full of ghosts. Maybe she was. For the first time she looked down at herself and realised how strangely she was dressed. It looked like some kind of plum coloured robe. Nothing she’d ever choose for herself. Was she even herself? Was she seeing through her own eyes? If there was any water around she could try and see her reflection. The flash of light on metal showed her that she was wearing some kind of brooch, holding a long scarf in place. She unclipped it and rubbed it with her sleeve before looking into the distorted reflection. It was definitely her and as she saw the bright silver of her eyes a leaf fell from above and landed on top of it. The silver filled her vision before it was replaced with darkness. The scent of disinfectant and clean bedding filled her nose as she began to awaken. She opened one eye and glanced around blearily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello there sleepy head.” Gwen smiled, her voice soft and warm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blinked, her memories catching up. “Did it go ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep. No more risk of a repeat of earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… Do I have stitches?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No sweetheart. Torchwood tech, remember?” She tapped a message to Owen on her phone. “As soon as the anesthetic wears off I can drive you home. Are you in any pain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a bit sore, but a lot better than I was… I’m surprised Owen’s not here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He needed to let off some steam. I don’t know what but something really set him off. As soon as he was sure you’d be ok he was gone. Tosh says he’s calmed down a bit now he’s had some fresh air.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed softly. “I hope he’s not angry with me for not mentioning anything. I know this was my own fault.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No, no, he isn’t mad at you. Of course he isn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did something happen on the mission?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it went pretty well other than some hefty property damage and a bump on the back of Tosh’s head… Anyway, all you need to worry about is getting some rest. Jack’s already marked down a couple of days off for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Melody, take the time off. The place won’t collapse in the meantime, I promise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tosh sighed and leaned on Owens shoulder. “Are you going to be alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” He was pulled from his thoughts. “Me? Yea, yea, I’m fine. How’s your head?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bruised but that’s all. I’m just happy to be concussion free. I’d rather not have to recover from one ever again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d prefer it if you didn’t too… You didn’t have to come with me. I wouldn’t have minded dropping you off at home.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked out at the starlit sky. “I wanted to… You did really well today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t just leave them.” He shrugged softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still… Do you want to talk about why this got to you so much?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stared up at the sky, finding his words. “The man who did that to her was a doctor. He was Torchwood. Just like us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he was Torchwood one in the late eighties. Things were different then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But he got away with it. How does she come to work every day for the same organisation that did that to her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because she doesn’t do it for Torchwood. She does it for us, for her friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something should have been done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It should. Just… Bad people get into every line of work. If we had the number of staff they did I’m sure we’d have picked up bad people too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the top of the head carefully. “I just wonder if us asking her to use her telepathy is sending us down a bad route.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She wants to. It would be worse if we told her she couldn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let out a contented sigh, a cloud rising into the cold air. “I hope it made it home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The alien?... Yea, me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still smell of smoke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed warmly. “If you’re cold you could just say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That too but you do. Smoke and disinfectant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not the worst thing I’ve ever come home smelling like.” </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>